Ten local observers to monitor general election

by Ranil Wijayapala

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake has given approval for 10 local election observers to monitor the forthcoming general election whilst giving approval for two of the 10 organisations to have their agents in polling stations, a spokesman for the Elections Department told the Sunday Observer.

According to the Consultant to the Elections Department, Bandula Kulatunga, two organisations, People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence have been given clearance to enter the polling stations and have their observers in the polling stations on the day of the elections.

The other organisations which have been given clearance to act as election observers are the Democratic Action for Free and Fair Elections (DAFFE), Centre for Protecting Human Rights, Organisation for Professional Association, Sepco Janatha Sanvidhanaya, National Polls Observation Centre, Network to Election Monitoring, Centre for Monitoring Free and Fair Elections and Democracy and the Campaign for Free and Fair Election.

“No decision has been taken about foreign election observers as the request from Opposition parties for foreign election observers came late”, Kulatunga said.

He said that the Department has fixed March 25 and 26 for postal voting for the forthcoming general election.

He said over 415,419 State sector employees are eligible to cast their votes on March 25 and 26. He said of the total number of applications for postal voting 61,691 applications were rejected by the Department.

“It is a normal practice to reject postal voting applications which fail to fulfil the specifications of the Department”, he said.

According to Kulatunga, the Elections Commissioner is holding regular meetings with political party representatives regarding the forthcoming general election.

At the meeting held on Friday the Opposition parties complained about the slow progress made by the police in removing the cut-outs despite directives by the Commissioner.

He said that the police are also facing threats from certain politicians against removing those cut outs.

He said the Department has also received a large number of complaints regarding the violation of elections laws.

“We have received many complaints regarding transfers in the State sector where letters have been backdated, he said.